So Much To Catch Up On

 I was hoping to move these efforts to video but as it turns out, video takes huge amount of time/slows down progress. Its not like my BLOGGING has been prolific.

So many projects, mostly small, even a huge debugging effort on mystery noise coming from Santa Creme - the answer, as always, the bottom bracket!

Cranks falling off Old Blue, Z falling off the Meta, tubeless battles and a new pastime of destroying and rebuilding derailleurs - 11speed road and 12speed clutched XT.

New tire, the Maxxis Aggressor, has been a revelation, unreal/uncanny traction - I made it up Big Trees Climb (aka My Bitch - really GN's perspective) twice in a row after 9 years of trying.

I'm working on a plan to automate the VLOG, maybe build a robot to document/make it easier to start, stop position and cast appropriate light.

Santa Creme w New Wheelset and Fork

 So here she is, updated and back from a second successful test ride. 

The new wheels are definitely lighter, but not as burley going down - the tires are forced to work more, so testing air pressure and suspension will be required.

I also have not cut down the fork steerer quite yet - maybe we'll be getting something better.

I have the pack of fresh Fox stickers too, not sure how urgent that upgrade will be given the Meta HT project.

Growing Boy = Next Build!

 Oops I did it again!

M has been growing and growing during the pandemic, his 26er just finished is already small. He's been taking control of his brother's bike with me and his Mom's rarely used 29er when there are 3.

Those days of 3 are my favorite, I am Darth Vader with my 29er Tie Wingmen.

Anyway, I just sold a very nice 29er. Doh! Kick. I did some frameset hunting, sold out or expensive. I started looking for bikes "like a Nukeproof Scout 29er" or "like a Santa Cruz Chameleon" and guess what happened?

Commencal Meta HT!

The last 2020 in the country, in the Colorado facility. XL in size. Somehow the American public didn't know where to look for this French beauty or lacked the imagination, but I am not completely American now am I?!!

So its mine, er, ours. 

Do I do a video series?

I am moving fast on this - I tore down M's NSBikes Clash fast, ordered a new set of XT brakes, got a 210 mm One Up dropper which I installed onto my rig already, the older parts going here along with the very big carbon wheels from Santa Creme. New DHF goes  on the old front for this project!

Z will ride this (I will of course be required to test often), M gets Z's, and we'll have 2x 26er framesets and one set of wheels 4sale.

Build Video Series Attempt

So rather than continuing to write dead blogs, why not go YouTube? My social-media savvy children encouraged it like I them and suddenly it takes me a week to build a bicycle wheel.

That is the worst part about demonstrating a build, is that it slows down the quiet flow of actually just doing the work. Its why I think I never quite enjoy teaching, coaching and maybe even (gulp) parenting. Well, the last cannot be avoided, but teaching and coaching and managing have always been second for me to the work itself.

Here is the link. Its not as instructional as inspirational.

Wheelset 2020: Spoke Length Calculations

Rim: RM29C19

ERD: 589 mm

Front Hub: Shimano XT: HB-M-8110-B Front Hub, 32h Boost

Left : 287.50

Right: 288.18

Hub width: 110

Left Flange Diam: 44

Left Flange Off : 21.1

Right Flange Dia: 44

Right Flange Off: 15.7

Spoke Count     : 32

Spoke Hole Diam :  2.6

Rear Hub:  Shimano XT: FH-M8110-B Rear Hub, 32h Boost

Left : 285.37

Right: 283.68

Hub Width: 148

Left Flange Dia : 60

Left Flange Off : 37.82

Right Flange Dia: 61

Right FLange Off: 51.02

Spoke Hole Diam :  2.6

https://spokelengthcalculator.com

-x-

https://www.prowheelbuilder.com/spokelengthcalculator

Front:

- 110 - 5.7 - 49.3 to center

- 70.2 - 49.3 - 5.7 = 15.2 = flange to center = result 39.8

Measured by Todd:

- L Diameter         : 44 mm

- R Diameter         : 44 mm

- L locknut to flange: 27 mm

- flange to center   : 28 mm

- flange to center   : 39 mm

- R locknut to flange: 16 mm

L: 284.5: 286.9 -> 286 (-0.9)

R: 288.4: 288.1 -> 288 (-0.1)

Rear:

Measured by Todd:

- D Left             : 60 mm

- D Right            : 61 mm

- L locknut to flange: 39 mm

- flange to center   : 28 mm

- flange to center   : 39 mm

- R locknut to flange: 53 mm

L: 285.2 -> 286 (+0.8)

R: 283.7 -> 284 (+0.3)

FL: 287 -> 286

FR: 288 -> 288

RL: 285 -> 286

RR: 284 -> 284

Catch up. Wheel Project, New Fork Via PinkBike, More Magic Shine and Hydraulic Cable Replaced

Picking up where we left off, the Hydraulic Cable replacement for the Ridley Road bike showed up today. Amazon had given up, offered me the option to cancel the order as it had gotten lost in the USPS chaos during pandemic. But show it did the day after.

I spent the time in the shed installing it tonight, before getting the Hightower ready for WMD. Wednesday Morning Dirt. I am in a hurry to get to bed to wake up at 5 to make it so. The new cable went on without much fuss or mess, I listened to the radio talking about movies that were not being screened due to, yes, the pandemic. The tight arrow of a cable is now a graceful loop following the shift cable. It could scratch the headset, might need to put some frame protection on.

Its only been a month, but lots going on in the fleet. I am trying to ride more, feeling out of shape doing so especially on the road. Ben Swiggett, recent ex-president of the club and part of the Vine St gang ride series I was on a few years ago, died about 2 weeks ago on a ride, right on Skyline/Grizzly. So sad, just one more blow from left field. Despite pandemic, the BBC gathered for a socially distanced tribute ride to his families house from Strada Cafe. Then we went East, and North through what was Planet of the Apes, now a very civilized walk/bike path overrun with Saturday walkers. About there I started to feel weak, the group seemed to be speeding up through the dogs and old people surprised to see a group of cyclists. I mean, its a pandemic after all.

Bonky, I was happy to help Paul try to find more comfortable gears when his rear derailed cable broke. So rather than the bears, bonky Josh came along and we did the route backwards. It was nice. Got sunburned on my neck despite my pandemic mask. Yes, you must drink every time I say pandemic.

The rims from China, maybe the last, arrived. I measured carefully to confirm ERD, and then the hubs with the caliper, and then ordered $95 in spokes. Building cool wheels ain't cheap.  

Using the Boost front hub means I need a fork, and so I've been shopping hard on Pinkbike looking for a deal. I finally jumped at a "2017" Fox 34 with a Fit 4 Damper, which upon code check is actually a 2016. The offset might be a bit much, and its not "Factory" like my current Fox, which also has real Kashima. Even for $350, I have buyers remorse, and it hasn't even showed up yet. Maybe I'll flip it. I even ordered new blue decals for it from Craigslist from a guy who only used a few for his rear shock, so maybe I can love it. Dunno. A nice big 36" has an appeal to it. Maybe flip the Rockshox or the Fox and the new Fox and buy us a ZEB 160, sort of goes against the lighter weight thing I am trying out. 

Too quick to be cheap sometimes there buddy.

How a Simple Handlebar Adjustment Leads to New Brakepads on the Roadbike

11pm and I am in the garage getting the road bike ready for the mornings early departure. Pump up the tires, check the chain lube, collect the helmet and shoes. Then I notice the pattern of spacers above and below the stem. My back winces a little, maybe its time to raise that a bit? Its only a simple "swap" of spacers, put the big one below and small one on top by the cap.

5mm wrench on the cap, 4mm on the stem, this will take a second. Then I notice something is stopping me from removing the stem? This is a single bar+stem combo, it all needs to come off but it won't go more than a half inch - about 1 cm for you euros out there. Then I see it - my hydraulic brake hose is at its max extension, tight as a guitar string. How did I ever get this on here? Why is this cable so short? After some untaping, I find the hose is NOT being held up by the bar wrap. A solution - loosen up the brake caliper! 5mm wrench and the caliper is off. The bar soon follows, spacers get swapped, 5mm to tension, 4 mm to tighten.

A very tight front brake hose

Then time to put the caliper back on. The already too-short hose before the swap is 1cm (lets just make that the unit) but the bolts do tighten down. Time to spin the wheel - clankity clank the rotor hits. Tighten-spin-loosen-adjust, trying to peak the pads vs disc spacing, nothing is working. Lots of guck in that caliper. Maybe take out the pads?

One flat-head driver later the pads are out. Brake cleaner out, clean off the pistons, plastic tire lever to push the pistons in. Lots of wear, old alloy backed Truckerco pads. I spin the wheel, more noise even without pads. I visually realign the accumulated error. Then I take the last clean yellow set off my pegboard. Pads inserted, bolt and flat-head, find the tiny clip, some more adjusting and a few twists of the 5m and spin and...silence. Boom, done!

Fresh Truckerco Metallic Sintered, My Favorites, Sold Out

Turn off the power, lock up the shed, wander into the house. 12:20am, I am to wake up in 5 and a half hours to ride. I do a quick check for more TruckerCo pads (sold out! damn you Covid-19 sucking up bike parts!) but the RS685 replacement hose exists for $29.95 plus shipping on Amazon.

So I am buying a serious brake bleed event, always good for pictures and stories of frustration! Stay tuned!